


Boiling Point

by CatKyle



Category: Persona 3, Persona Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Don't Examine This Too Closely, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, I'm Bad At Tagging, It's bad, Like, M/M, One Shot, One-Sided Attraction, One-Sided Relationship, Slight OOC, Yukari is a bitch here, have fun with this shit oop, this is me screaming for help lmao, yeah. i just wanted more content foe this ship lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-17 10:09:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28598229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatKyle/pseuds/CatKyle
Summary: Yukari has been deeply involved with the S.E.E.S leader and to her, it has grown into a full blooming relationship, even though they both agreed it would be a no-strings-attached form of relief. Makoto feels trapped, until he is invited to a boxing match where Akihiko is participating.
Relationships: Arisato Minato/Sanada Akihiko, Male Persona 3 Protagonist/Sanada Akihiko, Sanada Akihiko/Yuuki Makoto, Takeba Yukari/Yuuki Makoto onesided
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	Boiling Point

The sunlight streamed in through the window, bathing the room in glittering yellow light. Yukari’s bare shoulder appeared bronze in the UV rays, freckles feathered across the plains of skin. Makoto blearily sat up, carefully as to not wake the sleeping brunette. This was a common scene in the Dormitory, housing only the S.E.E.S operatives. S.E.E.S standing for Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad, a special task force purposed for defeating the shadows that prey during the dark hour. 

Makoto had wanted to go out yesterday, they needed to get stronger to handle the next full moon, but Ken, a child who had come into the same power, and Junpei, a somewhat defective teenage pervert, had still been sick from their last trek into Tartarus so Fuuka, a cyan-haired teen that acted as support, had forced him to stay behind. Her not bothering to listen to his cries that he was almost out of money. Unfortunately, Gekkoukan High had a strict policy on jobs; you couldn’t have one. Makoto was forced to rely solely on the money dropped by shadows, and considering the social connections he had to maintain, the personas he needed to summon, and the equipment he needed to buy for his team, Tartarus was a frequent necessity. 

The blue-haired boy stood up and dug around in his closet, grabbing his uniform and a towel. Taking his shower caddie, he took his belongings to the communal male showers. Thankfully, no one else was there. Makoto wasn’t surprised, it was still far too early for the other boys to be awake, the sun only just barely awake. The hot water felt like heaven on his skin, washing away the sins of his soul, the burning water leaving coral flesh in its wake. The sweet scent of vanilla filled his nostrils, the fragrance of his shampoo wafting around the steamy shower room. 

Makoto sighed, finally letting his muscles relax. The façade used to placate his friends had only worn him down. Mitsuru and Akihiko had been giving him looks for weeks now, with how good at reading his friends, it was concerning that those looks were a mystery to him. Junpei had stayed oblivious of course, but that didn’t mean he was safe. Junpei Iori was nothing but a flirt with ‘bro-tastic’ tendences, but he was nothing if not an idiot with a big heart. 

Makoto watch the shampoo swirl down the drain as he traversed his thoughts. He knew Junpei would only gather him insane for what he was doing to Yukari, all Junpei saw was what a “hot piece of ass” she is. And while that was true, Makoto smirked, she was beginning to grate on his nerves. They had agreed when they first started that there would be no feelings involved, however Yukari seemed to have forgotten about that. Her feelings were clearly on the romantic scale, obvious with how often she insisted on hanging out with him and the looks he got when he spent time with other girls. 

It was exhausting, Makoto was just about to the point of wanting to drop dead at every opportunity Yukari got him alone. Her hands were too cold, too dainty on his skin and too forceful. It felt like she was branding him with a molten metal hand, a claim that he only belonged to her, a promise that he would never break away from her. Just thinking about it had Makoto shivering, even in the hot steams of water. 

Breaking Makoto away from his thoughts, the sliding door to the shower room opened, the newcomer stopping to stand next to him. Akihiko nodded his head in a greeting and faced away from him, the water parting around his muscular back. The white-haired male was someone who didn’t interact with Makoto often, instead keeping to himself and Mitsuru rather than mingling with the younger students in their shared dormitory. 

“So, are you coming with the others to my match after school?” Akihiko ran his hands through his short white spikes, “I think everyone else but Yukari and Fuuka are coming, it would be nice to see you there.” 

“Probably, it would be cool to see you somewhere other than Tartarus and the dorm. What time should I be there?” Makoto shut off the cooling water, gathering his stuff and ringing water out of his hair. 

“Be there around 5:00-ish, that should give you enough time to find the others and get good seats. See you there.” Akihiko waved just before he closed the sliding door. Grabbing his towel, Makoto quickly wiped himself down, throwing on his uniform when he was done. Looking in the mirror on the wall next to the bench, he fixed his hair into its usual emo-typical style. Inching the door open, Makoto bolted when the close was clear, shutting the door with purpose. 

Makoto ran up the stairs, brushing past Fuuka and giving a quick greeting. Jogging down the hallway he saw his door open, meaning Yukari had left and probably was getting ready in her room. He grabbed his homework, sighing at the half completed English papers. He’d finish them in homeroom when he got to school, but his main goal was getting out of here without his Yukari-leech. 

Makoto took a deep breath and started running. Down the hall, down the stairs, and past the door, and even then, he didn’t stop. Makoto kept running until he got to the train station, the train just arriving from its journey. Once safely on the train Makoto nearly collapsed in relief, panting hard from the exertion of running nearly four miles. Strangers around him looked at the boy in confusion, but he didn’t care. He had managed to escape for a couple of hours. 

Makoto took out his headphones and placed them on his ears, blocking out the sounds of people and the train. He let the pounding of the bass carry him to his thoughts, the music fading away in the wake of his worries. Yukari had been getting worse than usual, purposefully singling him out whenever they were in a group. He didn’t want to lose her friendship, didn’t want to hurt her in turning her down, it sickened him to have to reject her advances, but he simply didn’t feel the same and it was affecting their Tartarus expeditions. The tension could be felt by everyone except her and it had gotten people hurt, in more ways than one. 

Makoto sighed and prepared for the day to end in disaster. 

Class went fast, Makoto getting called on a few times and luckily getting the answers right. Yukari was sitting in front of him and turning back to give him long stares at some points, but overall went better than he had been expecting. Junpei kept Yukari distracted so that he could slip away without her following him, the argument even making him cringe despite how it played to his advantage. He met with Kenji on the way-out of class, talking with him a while to pass the time before Akihiko’s boxing match. 

When the alarm he had set earlier went off, he bid farewell to Kenji with a quick word and a nod, starting towards the Gekkoukan gym. He still had about ten minutes to five, but Akihiko had many-a-fangirl, they would surely be coming in droves and he wanted a good seat before he was crushed in the herd. Makoto was already able to see the massive crowd from where he was positioned, screaming girls with signs like Akihiko was a top-hit popstar. He had to shake his head, they were definitely determined, almost like someone else he knew. 

Shaking the thought out of his head, he pushed through the crowd with difficulty, able to see a snow-white head of hair just a few people away, and apparently, so did Akihiko. Pushing aside the girls he grabbed his wrist and pulled him through the small opening. Mitsuru was there as well, screaming at the girls to move back and grabbing her megaphone to just barely be heard. Akihiko managed to push through the last of the crowd and once they got inside, closed the doors and locked them. 

“It... feels like... a zombie apocalypse.” Akihiko panted, even his endurance was spent “God, I need a bodyguard... or something-” 

“I can do it!” the blue-haired boy at once regretted his impulse, cringing once he realized that he was the last person besides Fuuka or Ken that should be a bodyguard. 

“Yeah, nice thought Makoto, but you’d die out there.” Akihiko laughed. “I appreciate the thought though.” he pulled Makoto in for a half hug, crushing him pleasantly against his shoulder. Makoto felt heat crawling up his cheeks, rubbing at his face. 

What the- was he blushing? 

Makoto awkwardly put his hand on Akihiko’s chest, feeling the stern muscles there. It almost felt like time stopped with every register of Akihiko’s presence. He felt like he should move away out of human decency, but he couldn’t bring himself to. This felt like what all those love novels described, was that what this is? 

Makoto didn’t get a chance to ponder any longer however, Akihiko pulled his arm away from his shoulders and started walking away, Makoto following him eagerly like a puppy on a leash. Akihiko softly chuckled when he saw him, grabbing his hand and leading him to the locker room. They made small talk while Akihiko changed into his boxing shorts, Makoto trying ridiculously hard to only look at his face. He then led him into the bleachers where everyone would be watching the fight and sent him to the best seat while he left to go practice. 

For a while, Makoto was captivated by the way his muscles flexed when he threw a punch, the way a kick sent the dummy’s fake skin rippling, the animalistic grunts coming out of Akihiko’s mouth. He sat staring for what could have been hours, the sweat building on both boys present in the gym, Makoto’s heart dancing at the sight of the deadly male in his true element. 

It felt hot, too hot, in fact his skin felt like it was melting. Makoto quickly checked to make sure that wasn’t the case, feeling insane at all the sensations underneath his skin. He fisted his uniform sleeve, refusing to watch Akihiko in worries that the burning would only get worse. He wanted to bolt like a marathon runner, but he was glued to the seat, and he had to stay to watch Akihiko fight. Makoto had made the time to come here and he wasn’t here for him, he was here to support his dormmate, his friend and that’s all he was. 

Thankfully, soon it was time for the rest of the attendants to show up. Droves of people came flooding in after the doors were unlocked, Mitsuru coming in behind them all, red hair frazzled and wild. Makoto beckoned her over and she sat down next to him, a defeated sigh escaping her lips. He patted her shoulder and smiled in reassurance, Mitsuru giving a small one back before curling up on the bench and falling asleep almost instantly. A small chuckle left his lips, the image that was before him of the strict school counsel president sleeping on the bleachers with hair of a lion’s mane was more amusing than the nicknames Yukari gave Junpei (“More like Stupei, ace defective!”) 

The bleachers were full quickly, even the floor in front of them was airtight. Makoto shifted to the left to crowd away from the obnoxious group of girls, finally relaxing when the lights turned off and the first competitors of the event walked into the middle of the gym, where a cheap boxing ring was set up. 

For the first few rounds, Makoto didn’t recognize any of the competitors. The fourth round had Akihiko facing off against another person meaningless to Makoto. The round was over quickly, Akihiko easily defeating his opponent and leaving without breaking a sweat. Makoto was strangely disappointed over that fact before swiftly ignoring the feeling. 

Makoto yawned as the competition went on, time seemingly dragging slower than Junpei’s last brain cell. The screaming wasn’t enough to keep him awake, heavy eyelids closing and following Mitsuru into dreamland. 

When Makoto woke up, Yukari was in his face. Quickly bolting up, Makoto saw Mitsuru still sleeping on the bench beside him. Cringing, he prepared himself for the storm coming from the girl in front of him, and he was not disappointed. 

“What the heck Makoto, are you kidding me right now? I knew something was up between you two! I thought that I was letting you come here to support Akihiko in his competition, not to cozy up to Mitsuru.” Yukari ranted on, oblivious to the rising fury in Makoto’s mind. 

“What do you mean ‘letting’ me? You don’t ‘let’ me do anything! I’m my own damn person Yukari!” 

“Oh my god, are you serious right now? If you’re so immature to think that I’m controlling you, then apparently you need to have someone to make decisions for you.” 

“Are you- no, we’re done.” Makoto took a shaky breath, preparing to stand up to the force that is Yukari. “I can’t do this anymore, we said it wouldn’t be an attachment beyond taking care of our mutual desire and you seem to have forgotten that.” 

She stuttered, “we-well, things have changed, it’s not the same as then! You have to feel something too, don’t you?” Mitsuru was long awake at this point and looking at the scene with disdain. 

“So, from what I understand, the two of you were having sexual intercourse without the knowledge of any authority, having an intimate relationship that could have- and did- affect the efficientness of our squad, and were letting it affect your academics. Is that all?” Mitsuru glared at the both of them, clawing shivers from everyone witnessing the situation. 

Nether Makoto or Yukari spoke up under the punishing gaze of the student council president. The red head sighed at the lack of response from the two, turning around and walking away. Yukari saw this as an opportunity to pick up the argument. 

“Having your lover come save you, huh?” She sneered. 

Makoto looked at her, shocked. “Yukari she’s just my friend, and yours too. Don’t say things like that to people who care for you.” 

“Well, you clearly don’t take that into account for yourself!” 

“What? What are you talking about?” 

“Here I am giving you all of me and you’re just turning me away!” 

“One, that’s different-” 

“The hell it is, bitch!” 

Yukari stepped closer to him and smashed a right hook directly into his nose, hearing a sickening ‘crack’ when her fist landed. 

The gymnasium was in pure shock for a moment, Makoto stepped back, holding his crooked bloody nose and stumbling back onto the bleachers. All at once the gym erupted into screams and cheers from the girls, seemingly oblivious to the situation other than “guy treat girl wrong, girl breaks guy’s nose” 

There was one figure from the rest that stood out however, Akihiko was gently pushing girls out of his way once again, rushing over to the two of his dormmates. When he got to the two of them, he stepped between Yukari and Makoto, separating them and preventing anymore bodily harm to Makoto. 

When Yukari lunged herself at Akihiko in rage, two others from the competition held her back by her arms, allowing Akihiko to wrap an arm around Makoto’s waist and lead him out of the gym. The girls parted for them, apparently knowing that was not the moment to crowd around the boys. The door was opened for them by Junpei, who had been in the gym with his friends instead of with Makoto and Mitsuru. Akihiko and Junpei shared a look with each other and the boy bolted away from the gym. 

Makoto held his nose with his hand, blood streaming through his fingers. Akihiko supported him silently all the way to the dorm, and to his room. Rummaging through a cabinet he pulled out a med kit, swiftly cleaning up the blood from Makoto’s face and fingers. Akihiko without letting Makoto relax, reset the broken bone, setting it in a makeshift splint. 

Makoto yelped at the pain before biting his tongue to stifle the sounds, laying down on Akihiko’s bed when he was done. Careful not to touch his nose, he laid on his side and stared at the wall. 

Yukari had just broken his nose 

He couldn’t believe it, where had the caring girl he had known before gone? The one that had led him to school on his first day, and the one that introduced him to his sensei. 

Tears welled up in his eyes as he thought of fond memories, where the Yukari he knew was still present, where his confusing feelings were non-existent. 

Akihiko saw the tears and after some hesitation, gave him a soft embrace. Makoto only cried harder, tears finally falling and Akihiko holding him through it all before he finally fell asleep. The silence settling back. 

The next few days passed by uneventfully, Yukari nowhere to be seen. Makoto was silently glad for that, but also worried. Mitsuru had tried on multiple occasions to talk to him, however being unsuccessful due to Makoto avoiding her like the plague. He didn’t expect her to barge into his room however, a dangerous oversight in the eyes of Makoto. 

“Yuuki-kun, I demand to speak with you, and no avoiding the issue anymore. You cannot avoid me forever and I just want to talk, I can agree to let the punishment go if you come with me.” Mitsuru with her stance tall and voice firm, left no room for negotiations. Makoto followed her to a private meeting room, scantly used due to most meetings happening in the living room of the dorms. 

“I need to know exactly what happened.”


End file.
